Amid speculations of a tussle for the chief minister’s post in Maharashtra’s opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said that ally Congress should understand that his party has contributed to its increase in numbers in the Lok Sabha elections. Raut said that if Congress leaders in Maharashtra believe that they are the big brother in the alliance, then it is not right for them to forget the role of our party.
Raut made this remark a day after Congress leader and former minister Balasaheb Thorat said that he was confident that the next chief minister of the state would be from the Congress. The MVA comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress besides the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP). The alliance won 31 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra while the ruling ‘Mahayuti’ managed to get only 17 seats.
Raut said, “Congress should study the contribution of Shiv Sena (UBT) for the increase in its seats.” Raut said that in 2019, the Kolhapur, Ramtek and Amravati Lok Sabha seats won by the undivided Shiv Sena were given to the Congress on which it contested successfully. He said, “Their three seats increased because of us. It is not fair that they have forgotten this or want to forget.”
Congress Legislature Party leader Thorat ignored Raut’s comment and said that MVA’s seats increased due to each other. When questioned about Raut’s comment that Congress’s seats increased by three due to Shiv Sena (UBT), Thorat said, “We can discuss this on the MVA platform.” Maharashtra Pradesh Congress President Nana Patole rejected Raut’s claim and said that there is no need to pay attention to the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader. He said, “Senior leaders will decide on the post of Chief Minister after the elections.”
Patole said the MVA will fight the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections unitedly and there is no disagreement over seat sharing. Meanwhile, NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad said the MVA allies should avoid talking about the chief minister’s post before the elections. Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly are likely to be held in mid-November.